Catholic Church’s social action arm calls for permanent stoppage of mining in Sibuyan
Sibuyan residents slam mining ops, set up human barricade. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The social action arm of the Catholic Church calls for the permanent stoppage of mining in Sibuyan Island in Romblon.
“We call on Altai Philippines Mining Corporation (APMC) and other conglomerates to stop destructive mining,” Caritas Philippines, the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said in a statement on Monday.
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“We know what is the right thing to do. Stop mining in Sibuyan,” the organization added.
To recall, protesters barricaded the port of APMC in a bid to stop the extraction of nickel ore and other minerals in the island.
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Following the protests last Thursday, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) stepped in to suspend APMC’s operations.
Heeding to the DENR order, the APMC said it “voluntarily halt all exploration and testing activities” in the island.
“We feel a moral duty to safeguard and uphold the well-being of our shared environment. Therefore, we believe that the project would not serve the overall interests of the province and would pose a threat, particularly to the lives and lands of the communities on the island, and the rich biodiversity in the area.
“If we persist in damaging our only home, there will be no going back and our children, not just us, will bear the consequences of a degraded environment. Let us not pass on this legacy to future generations,” the organization further said.—Mae Anne Bilolo, INQUIRER.net intern
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